Meet Wellness Counselor, Beth Leermakers

If you missed yesterday's Who's Who weekly update email, here is your chance to learn more about our Wellness Counselor, Beth Leermakers.

 

Dr. Beth Leermakers earned her B.S. degree in Psychology from Duke University and her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Florida.  As a Certified Lifestyle Counselor in Weight and Stress Management, Beth has more than 15 years of experience in the cognitive-behavioral treatment of obesity.  Her past experiences include Director of Education at the LEARN Institute for Lifestyle Management, as well as Program Director at the Cooper Institute in Texas.  In January of 2008 – wishing to be closer to family – Beth accepted the position of Hilton Head Health Wellness Counselor and packed her bags for the east coast.

 

Beth’s main responsibilities at H3 include leading discussions on stress management, stress eating, body image and motivation, as well as conducting Health Habit Review sessions and Individual Consultations.  Her goal is to help individuals discover what’s interfering with their healthy lifestyle behaviors and find strategies to overcome these barriers.  She finds that the first step is to help the Guest realize that they need to make health a priority.

 

According to Beth, “one of the highlights of my job is seeing when Guests, who are initially very shy and scared, start to feel more comfortable and come out of their shell.  We’re able to create such a safe and nurturing environment, that each Guest really has the opportunity to blossom and share.”  Beth’s passion is driven by seeing Guests really open up and rediscover passions that they’ve put on hold for so many years.

 

When Beth’s not supporting Guests at H3, you can find her at the beach with her two dogs or volunteering at animal rescue.